Library patrons threw little parties, with balloons, and homemade baked goods to celebrate the return of the three neighborhood libraries that had closed July 1st. Mary Ann Maloney , a library advocate, said funding would not have been restored without community pressure.

The branch re-openings came about after the Springfield City Council voted to raise the annual residential trash fee by $15 to $90 and Mayor Domenic Sarno agreed to transfer $200,000 to the library system.